The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a resolution calling on Secretary Blinken to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism for its actions in Chechnya, Georgia, Syria and Ukraine that have resulted in "the deaths of countless innocent men, women and children." However, it is not binding on the State Department. This was reported by The New York Times.
“The Russian armed forces committed numerous massacres of innocent civilians and tried to hide their atrocities with mass graves throughout Ukraine,” the Senate bill says.
A similar initiative was also proposed in the lower house of the US Congress – the House of Representatives.
“If Russia is not on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, this list should be thrown out. The atrocities of the Russian army go beyond the limits of civilized human behavior, ”said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier.
At the same time, the decision to declare Russia a country sponsoring terrorism can only be taken by the State Department. Thus, the passage of the resolution by the US Senate will put more pressure on the administration of President Biden.
Earlier, the head of the US State Department, Anthony Blinken, said that the damage from the sanctions imposed against Russia is equivalent to the costs that would be if it were recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism. According to federal spokesman Ned Price, Washington is now considering this issue, checking how "the criteria established in law by Congress correlate with the facts."
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has already asked the world community to recognize Russia as a sponsor of terrorism. Ukraine and Lithuania have already done this.
Severe restrictions are imposed on countries recognized by the United States as such. Among them are a ban on the export of weapons, control over the export of dual-use products, a ban on economic assistance, and a freeze on state assets. In addition, sanctions are also envisaged against countries trading with a state sponsor of terrorism. Cuba, North Korea, Iran and Syria are already on the US list of sponsors of terrorism.